Grace Dent has opened up about working with new Celebrity MasterChef judge Giorgio Locatelli as they join forces for the hit BBC series.
Giorgio joins the cooking programme after former presenter John Torode was sacked from the BBC following allegations of using racist language, which was upheld as part of the Lewis Silkin report.
The last season of Celebrity MasterChef marked food critic and broadcaster Grace’s first as a judge. She was brought in to replace Gregg Wallace after he was sacked following a series of misconduct allegations relating to his time on the show.
New Season Details
Together, Grace and John crowned RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Ginger Johnson as the 2025 Celebrity MasterChef champion. Other past winners include Strictly Come Dancing star Vito Coppola and presenter Lisa Snowdon.
Taking part this year are comedian Donna Preson, weightlifter and Olympic medallist Emily Campbell, Gladiator (Dynamite) Emily Steel, presenter and former Royal Ballet dancer Eric Underwood, broadcaster Jason Mohammad, and The Wanted’s Jay McGuiness.
Also entering the kitchen are comedian Joe Pasquale, Paralympic athlete Lauren Steadman, YouTuber and comedian Max Fosh, DJ and presenter Melvin Odoom, and former EastEnders star Nitin Ganatra, who played Masood Ahmed.
Filling out the rest of the contestants are TV personality Shakira Khan, former Coronation Street star and Loose Women panellist Sue Cleaver, YouTuber Tom Simons (A.K.A TommyInnit), and singer Una Healy, best known for her work with The Saturdays.
Guest Judges and Premiere
Kicking off on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Tuesday, August 18, Celebrity MasterChef 2026 will see This Morning’s Paddy McGuinness, I’m A Celebrity winner Angry Ginge, real name Morgan Burtwistle, and former Radio 2 host Zoe Ball acting as the Celebrity Guest Judges.
Giorgio is one of the most recognised Italian chefs in the world. He was awarded his first Michelin star in 1999, and his second soon after in 2003 and boasts an enviable reputation around the globe.
Insights from the Judges
Speaking about working with Giorgio, Grace told PA: “The minute we get in that kitchen, Giorgio stops being a television star and judge. Before you know it, he’s folding 400 dumplings.
“But I think that we both were very surprised about how some people really gained confidence with a little bit of a push. Some people came up with some dishes that were absolutely brilliant, well-cooked, and presented very well.”
Giorgio stated: “Some celebrities were surprising in a very good way, some in not such a very good way, but it was incredible to see how these people have got such a different take on cooking.
“They come from different backgrounds, and obviously some of them are very spoiled. Others are in charge of what they eat on a daily basis because they’re sports people, for example. It’s been interesting to host the series alongside Grace and observe them from the point of view of a chef. It’s been an honour.”
According to Grace, who also hosts the civilian version of MasterChef alongside Irish chef and restaurateur Anna Haugh, it’s ‘fascinating’ that people convince themselves that their cooking ‘isn’t good enough’.
“I think that women do that an awful lot. They’re really capable cooks who’ve been throwing down three meals a day for five people for 30 years, and then they’ll come on the show and say, ‘Oh, I’ve made some pie. It’s probably not very good’. I bet it is good. Sometimes it’s the confidence to see the gifts that you have.
“That’s why I love working on this show. It keeps you on your toes continually. The people who come on are either from all over the world or their parents were from all over the world. So you never quite know what they will make; even if they say that they’re going to cook something, you don’t even know what variety of it you’re going to get,” she said.
Giorgio noted: “Some people have that capacity to open the fridge and mix things up, because they have very good talent and can predict how the dish is going to taste. So confidence is a very important thing in the kitchen, and I think that when people are scared about cooking, you can actually taste it in the food.”
